In my bedroom closet, tucked just inside to the right of the door is a gallon jar, in that jar is a loose change collection that has been added to for several years. Many years ago such a jar likely held mine and my family’s entire net worth. It was one such jar that helped fund a family trip to Disney World one year.
Recently I was cleaning our bedroom (something I do but not as regular as some folks) and scattered near that jar was a large collection of coins that had missed, pennies mostly, spread out on the floor in a not so small messy radius, all testimony either to my carelessness or my poor basketball skills. Pennies I guess bounce pretty far off of the slightly rounded shoulders of gallon glass jars cause I found them from the front to the back of this long walk in closet. In cleaning our bedroom and adjoining bath I found loose change I had also left on the bathroom counter, on the night stand, in my Grandfather’s ash tray on the top of my dresser, some near the ash tray that had missed, and some on the floor that obviously jumped from my grandfather’s ash tray on the dresser to the floor under the edge of the bed. I picked them all up and tossed them toward the jar, some missed.
Before our recent trip to Atlanta DeAnn was preparing our car for the 19 hour road trip and decided to remove the sticky change from the cup holders and not so sticky coins from other nooks and crannies in the car where we stuck change from our last road trip. Pennies from Starbucks, quarters from the never ending toll booths, and various coins given as change from oft required stops at McDonalds, one dollar drinks, free clean bathrooms, and always some change. We have been to every Starbucks and are on a first name basis with the night crew at most of the McDonalds from Ulysses to Tulsa. DeAnn didn’t carelessly toss the coins toward the jar, but after laundering our new found wealth she did try to dispose of one penny via our garbage disposal. Then she placed the clean money on the kitchen counter before we left. Upon our return I took the one chewed up penny and the clean money to the closet and tossed them toward the jar, some missed.
Then there is the perpetual supply of loose change that our clothes washer and dryer manufactures, mind you it never makes a $100 bill, mostly pennies, few nickels, some dimes, rarely a quarter, but never $100 bills. Bright shiny coins gleaming as they rest on the top of a white dryer, awaiting a ride to the back bedroom closet to be tossed at the open mouth jar tucked in the corner, just behind the door, again some missed.
As you know I resolved to live with purpose and with deliberate actions this next year. One of those is with my finances, not that I will save more, spend less, or build a bigger 401k and bank account, but, I will live deliberately with what God has so richly blessed me, carefully choosing where to apply my limited resources.
As a sign of that deliberate effort I will show greater care with even the pennies, purposefully placing them in our glass bank tucked just behind the closet door, including those pennies DeAnn chooses to run through the garbage disposal.
David.
